A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church

11 May 2014

Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

This is the fourth Sunday in Easter, and it is also Mother’s Day in the
United States, and both days should give us a sense of true compassion for
our children and all creation.

In Exodus 2:6 we are given an example of this compassion for our children
and the children all over the world.

6. And she [Pharaoh’s daughter] opened it, and saw the
child [Moses]: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him,
and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
ASV

Before making any comments about this Exodus passage, let’s take a look
at Romans 8:20-22…

20. For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its
own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope

21. that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to
corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

Pharaoh was the one who subjected the Hebrew people to slavery and
corruption and ordered the male babies to be killed, just as our society has
subjected most animals to a life of slavery and misery, and kills over 100
billion of them every year.

However, it was Pharaoh’s daughter who had compassion for one of the Hebrew
babies, and her father permitted her to do so.

22. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers
the pains of childbirth together until now.
NASB

This Romans passage confirms God’s creation and heavenly intent, which He
also expressed to the reluctant prophet Jonah when he didn’t want to have
Nineveh forgiven.

Let’s take a look at Jonah 4:11…

11. "And should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great
city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the
difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?"
NASB

The people who don’t know the difference between their right and left
hands sounds a lot like little children and perhaps some people who are
mentally deficient, but in either case it expresses God’s compassion for His
Children, which is an example of us having compassion for our children.

And God goes even further, and extends His compassion for all the animals of
Nineveh which is an example for us to have compassion for our children and
all creation.

In Matthew 23:37, Jesus gives us another example of having no limits to our
compassion.

37. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and
stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children
together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were
unwilling.
NASB

Jesus uses the example of a hen having compassion for her children to
express the compassion Jesus had for the people of Jerusalem, even when He
knew that many of them wanted to kill Him.

We are to have no limits on our compassion; we are to have compassion for
our children and all creation.

In Psalm 23:1-6, David writes about God’s compassion for His children who
have to face the evils of this world, but as we read this, let’s apply this
message to our own society and what we are to do to express our compassion
for our children and all creation.

3. He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake.

Isn’t God’s love really an expression of the same kind of love and
compassion for our children and all creation that each and every one of us
should have?

Let’s continue with the Psalm…

4. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death,
I fear no evil; for Thou art with me;
Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.

The valley of the shadow of death is to us this evil and corrupt world’s
influence over all creation.

And when we consider the plight of the animals, the shadow of death is a
cloud of pending doom from which very few “food animals” ever escape,
totally unlike the way the psalmist expresses God’s care and protection.

6. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my
life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
NASB

In our present time, the only goodness and lovingkindness that exploited
animals experience is following their death when they come to dwell in the
house of the Lord forever.

All this suffering and death is caused by our fellow human beings who follow
the ways of this corrupt world.

It is not caused by God.

The people who do these kinds of evil things have no true compassion for our
children and all creation.

In John 10:1-11, Jesus describes the difference between true believers who
follow the will of our heavenly Father and do no harm to any part of
creation, and those who further corrupt the world.

The other thing we need to keep in mind as we look at this passage is that
the sheep represent the true believers as well as animals.

1. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by
the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a
thief and a robber.

Many of the people who do these things actually claim to be believers,
but their belief bears no fruit, because they have had no spiritual change;
instead they continue in the worldly ways of their former lifestyle.

2. "But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the
sheep.

3. "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls
his own sheep by name, and leads them out.

4. "When he puts forth all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep
follow him because they know his voice.

5. "And a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him,
because they do not know the voice of strangers."

The voice of one who speaks in the heavenly will of God speaks with love
and compassion for our children and all creation, but those who speak in
worldly terms, such as mentioning the dead animals and by-products that they
enjoy eating, live in the ungodly ways of this world.

6. This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did
not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them.

7. Jesus therefore said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the
door of the sheep.

8. "All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not
hear them.

9. "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall
go in and out, and find pasture.

Those who enter through Jesus are the true peacemakers who live in the
heavenly will of God, and do everything in their power to free creation from
its present corruption.

These are the ones who have true compassion for our children and all
creation.

10. "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy;
I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.
NASB

We hope and pray that we all can see the difference between these two
kinds of people, and if we look at them and their lifestyle, particularly in
the way that animals would perceive them and their actions, we can easily
discern who falls into which category.

This also highlights one of the major problems in most churches today, for
they bring death and destruction into their churches in the forms of animals
they eat at their dinners and the animal skins they wear, just as the
priests did in the Temple.

They are not following the peaceful teachings of Jesus.

They do not have compassion for our children and all creation, as we all are
supposed to have.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at Acts 2:42-47…

42. And they [the true believers and followers of Jesus]
were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

43. And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs
were taking place through the apostles.

44. And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in
common;

45. and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing
them with all, as anyone might have need.

We may not be living in a communal society as they were then, but we can
use our resources as loving and compassionate peacemaking children of God to
help end the corruption of creation in every way we can.

This is what following the teachings of Jesus is all about.

This is what living in the heavenly will of God is all about.

46. And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple,
and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals
together with gladness and sincerity of heart,

47. praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was
adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
NASB

Many of the people in our corrupt churches are also praising God, but
they are not following the compassionate teachings of Jesus and living in
the heavenly will of God where there is no longer any pain, suffering, or
death.

And if we look upon this corrupt and evil world, we can also see that
followers of the ways of the world also seem to be increasing in number.

Isn’t this what we are told in Matthew 7:13-14?

13. "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and
the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by
it.

14. "For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and
few are those who find it.
NASB

We are to be among the few who find and enter by the narrow way and gate.

We are to reject the ungodly ways of this world, and live as peacemaking
children of God who help free creation from its present corruption.

We are to be the ones who have compassion for our children and all creation.

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